


Building a Family

by Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot)



Series: Taking in Strays [3]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew Has Feelings, Andrew and Neil adopt, Family, Fluff, M/M, but is bad at showing them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 01:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10687386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofcamelot/pseuds/Leahelisabeth
Summary: Neil thinks all Angel needs is a key and a reason to stay.  Andrew knows it takes a little more than that to give a child a new home.  He takes matters into his own hands to make sure Angel is there to stay.





	1. Chapter 1

Andrew often wondered how Neil, who had spent so much of his life on the run, convinced that his imminent death was around the corner, could be so trusting sometimes, almost optimistic. This thing with Angel especially was just baffling him. They had basically kidnapped a 12-year-old girl and Neil seemed to think the hard part was over. Maybe it was because Neil’s solution, although won through blood, sweat, and tears, was as simple as Andrew giving him a key and a reason to stay. Getting Neil to stop running was probably the action that Andrew was most proud of in his entire life. Not that he would ever tell Neil that; his partner would be absolutely insufferable then.

So in Neil’s mind, they’ve fixed the problem. They’ve gotten her away from the influence of her abuser. They’ve given her a home and they’re giving a go at meeting her emotional needs too. But Andrew is thinking. He’s been in the system and he knows how bad this looks. And, again this is something he will never tell Neil, he likes the kid already. She’s got a mouth on her, won’t take shit from anybody, and she also reminds him a little bit of himself before he lost all faith in humanity and suddenly he has the opportunity to save someone from experiencing the same things he went through.

Andrew didn’t really sleep the first night that Angel was in their home. He gave Greg money and threatened him with bodily harm if he ever tried to get Angel back but he still might call the cops to get the kid back. He was up early the next morning and he crawled out of bed and onto the balcony in order to let Neil sleep as late as possible. He called Wymack first.

“You’ve done what?” Wymack asked.

“Try to keep up. We’ve rescued a kid from a bad situation but we don’t want her to get lost in the system and so therefore Neil and I need to be registered as foster parents as soon as possible. Good character references will help expedite the process.”

“Christ, it’s too early for this,” Wymack sighed. “What makes you think you can handle it? I’ve known you for seven years and I can’t think of a single time the word paternal has come to mind when I’m looking at you.”

“Is that a no?” Andrew asked.

Wymack sighed heavily. “It’s not a no. God knows you saved Neil’s life. And he’s been good for you too. You’re not the same person you were when you first joined my team. I’d kinda like to meet her and get a read on the situation first though.”

“Careful, Wymack, you’re sounding dangerously sentimental. You can come visit but be warned, I am going to get the ball rolling on this today and I’m giving them your number. Text Neil when you want to visit.” Andrew hung up before Wymack could answer him and immediately dialled Bee’s number. 

She was silent for a long time after he explained the situation. Andrew sudden;y thought she might have fallen asleep again. “This is a big responsibility, Andrew,” she finally said.

“I know. I was in the system. I know the difference between a good and bad foster parent,” he said.

“I don’t doubt that. But they aren’t just going to ask me what you’re like now. They’ll be able to get ahold of your history. They’re going to ask me if you’re dangerous,” Bee said carefully.

“Yes, they will. And you can tell them the truth. That I sometimes still have bad days and that I struggle to respond appropriately to stress. But you can also tell them that I have coping mechanisms in place and that I have a support system in place,” Andrew explains.

He can hear Bee’s smile over the phone. “Good. That’s all I need from you. For the record, I think that you’ll be good at this. I have faith in you and I hope you know that I am happy to be a part of that support system.”

“Yes,” Andrew said roughly. “I know. Thank you.”

“Please let me know what happens or you can always call me if you need to talk,” Bee replied warmly.

“Of course,” Andrew said. He hung up on her too.

It was still too early to call child services so he sat on the balcony smoking nervously.

Neil wandered out about 20 minutes later, wrapped in the blanket from their bed and eyes blinking sleepily at him. “Come back to bed,” he whispered. “It’s even too early for my morning run.”

Andrew took a big drag and blew it right in Neil’s face. Neil sighed and sat beside Andrew, flinging the blanket around both their shoulders. Andrew pressed again the warmth of Neil and took another drag. They sat in silence for a while.

“Any second thoughts?” Neil asked. Andrew just looked at him coolly and raised one eyebrow.

Neil sighed. “Ok, don’t freeze. I’m going to go running.” He wrapped the blanket a little tighter around Andrew and went inside to change. Andrew sat out for a little longer, finished his cigarette, and then walked inside to make coffee. He hopped up on the counter and waited for it to brew. He looked at the cupboard speculatively and, once the caffeine had started to run in his veins, he pulled down two bowls and ingredients from the cupboard and started whipping up two batches of pancakes, a big one of chocolate chip pancakes for him and Angel, and a smaller one of blueberry for Neil. 

Neil walked back into the house just as Andrew put the last few pancakes on the griddle. Andrew glared when Neil sat down at the table, forehead dripping with sweat but he slid a stack of pancakes over in front of him anyway.

Andrew had made a small mountain of chocolate chip pancakes. He realized belatedly that it was summertime and Angel was practically a teenager and might not be up for hours yet, but she wandered in just as he was deciding to wrap some up and put them in the fridge. Her hair was a riot of curls and she was wearing the same clothes from last night. Andrew made a mental note to find out what she had in the way of clothing and take her shopping for everything she needed after he got everything started. He put another plate of pancakes in front of her, along with the syrup and whipped cream. He looked triumphantly at Neil when she poured liberal amounts of both on her already disgustingly sweet pancakes and happily dug in.

Neil just rolled his eyes.

Andrew looked down at his watch and realised the office would be open now and so he left the two of them to grin happily at each other over breakfast while he went to do battle with the biggest nemesis of his early childhood. They put him on hold, of course they did. He realised his leg was jittering and he makes a physical effort to calm himself down.

A woman named Elsie Jenkins finally answers and Andrew doesn’t want to say a word but he forces himself to explain the entire situation, knowing it could be disastrous to be caught in a lie. He tries to make his voice sound as sincere as possible. “So you see, ma’am,” he concluded. “Neil had already been acting in a big brother capacity to Angel, and we can corroborate that with security camera footage from our stadium as well as personal testimonies from teammates and coaches who met her at practice times. When we learned of the abuse, we thought it important to get her out of that situation as quickly as possible. Neil and I would like to act as her foster parents and would be grateful for any help you can provide in expediting the process. We of course can give you a list of references to get you started and would be ready for a home study at your earliest convenience. Also, any necessary legal fees can be paid up front.”

Again, Andrew is met with silence on the phone. “This is...highly irregular. I’ll have to look up precedence for this case. If you give me your email address, I’ll send you the application for becoming a foster parent. Please include your references. And I would like to stop by this afternoon to assess the situation, simply for the protection of the child, you understand.”

“Of course. I expect nothing less. I will send you that information as soon as possible. Goodbye,” he resisted the urge to hang up on her as well and waited for her goodbye before disconnecting the call. He picked up the blanket from where he had dropped it earlier and walked into the bedroom to carefully make the bed he shared with Neil. He picked up Neil’s sweaty running clothes from the floor and put them in the hamper and straightened a few other things. He did the dishes next, allowing the repetitive motion to relax the tension in his shoulders. Angel saw him cleaning and silently joined in. Once the kitchen and living room were spotless, Angel stopped in front of him, looking into his eyes with tentative hope. He allowed his face to soften and gave her a short nod. She grinned at him and grabbed her left wrist with her other hand. He flopped down onto the couch with a sigh and then, after a moment of consideration, handed her the TV remote.

She flipped through channels for a little while before finally settling on reruns of the Looney Toons. Neil breezed into the living room, hair still damp and cheeks flushed from the shower, and flopped down across Andrew’s lap. Andrew settled one hand in Neil’s curls and left the other resting gently on Neil’s ankles. They all watched in silence, occasionally broken by Angel’s delighted laughter and Neil’s huffs of amusement. Neil recognised that Andrew had run out of words for the time being and didn’t even look at him, intently watching the cartoon shenanigans of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote instead. About an hour later, Andrew pulled out his laptop from the end table, settled it on top of Neil’s thighs, and started to fill out the application that Ms Jenkins had sent him.

Neil very obviously tried not to look at the screen and eventually Andrew huffed and turned it so that Neil could see. Neil read a few lines and then looked at Andrew with such softness in his eyes that Andrew had to put his hand over Neil’s eyes or combust with embarrassment. Neil casually looked back toward the TV and started watching the show again and Andrew felt pathetically grateful. After he finished and pressed send, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Neil. 

(11:32) Woman from child services will be by to talk to Angel this aft. 

Neil, predictably, had left his phone somewhere else and Andrew sighed and shoved his own in Neil’s face. Neil looked down at him, startled and a little nervous, but Andrew just stared at him steadily until he relaxed again.

Eventually Andrew shoved Neil onto the floor and wandered into the kitchen to make lunch. He heard murmured voices from the living room and assumed Neil was telling Angel that they were expecting a guest. She didn’t look too freaked out when he carried their plates into the living room. They ate soup and sandwiches in front of the TV. Andrew was just finishing up the dishes when the doorbell rang. 

Actual Sunshine Neil Josten answered the door so the woman was already smiling when she entered the room. She shook Andrew’s hand firmly and spoke to Angel like she was an adult rather than a child.

“Angel, would it be alright if I spoke to you alone for a little while. I just want to make sure you’re going to be okay here,” Ms Jenkins said, her smile never wavering.

To Andrew’s surprise, Angel looked over at him for reassurance. He nodded again, making a conscious effort to smile a little wider than he had this morning. She squared her shoulders and looked up at the woman. “Would you like to see my room?”

“I would love to,” Ms Jenkins said and followed Angel up the stairs.

Neil immediately started pacing. “I think it’s going well. Is it going well? Do you think they’ll take her away? Where would she go? Do you think they’ll put her in the system?”

Andrew stepped in front of Neil and grabbed him by the shoulders before gently pulling him in for a hug. Neil was shocked into silence. Casual touch had gotten much easier but a full on hug was Andrew pulling out the big guns.

“You’re right, of course,” Neil mumbled into the top of Andrew’s head. “There’s no need to freak out. We’re doing everything we can.”

Andrew released him and made another pot of coffee. They were sitting at the table drinking it when Angel and Ms Jenkins came back downstairs.

“We will still need to go through the official process of course. I will check your references more thoroughly and we will need to schedule an official home study but I am comfortable leaving Angel in your care until then. I will be in touch,” Ms Jenkins explained, her smile still present.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Neil said, shaking her hand a little too enthusiastically. “Would you like a cup of coffee before you go?”

“No, thank you, I have a few more appointments today and I really should get back to the office. However, I will take you up on that offer another time,” she said as she shook Andrew’s head. Andrew nodded at her and escorted her to the door. He closed it behind her and locked it and suddenly he could breathe again. He looked over at Angel and saw a tear slip down her cheek.

“Thank you so much,” she wept and threw her arms around Andrew. He stiffened at first but then realised it was actually okay. He brought his arms up and squeezed her gently.

Andrew thought he had been all out of words for the day but suddenly he found he had five more. “You belong with us now,” he said.

And a few months later, Andrew baked a huge chocolate cake and made Neil eat a huge slice all by himself and let Angel pick the girliest chick flick on her list. He didn’t tell them why, but every time he thought of the crisp new papers, signed in ink, locked in Neil’s old safe, he smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew decides he needs to make things official.

Andrew didn’t really ever plan for things. He had been disappointed far too many times in his life to plan more than a few days out. Even attending university, he went but he didn’t trust it. Every day he woke up and reminded him that this didn’t matter, that it wouldn’t hurt if it was snatched away from him, that permanence wasn’t something he could have and certainly wasn’t something he wanted. He never could have planned for Neil. Wanting Neil and having Neil were two things he never expected to experience. So this life, waking up every morning with Neil in his bed, being the goalkeeper at his back, lazy evenings curled up with the cats and their now 15-year-old foster daughter chattering away about anything and everything, was so much more than he ever thought to imagine. Sometimes, he thought about permanence, but he couldn’t quite get rid of the pit in his stomach that said commitment was just a way to tell the universe that he finally had someone whose loss would devastate him. The universe had never done Andrew any favours.

It is the first game of their third season with the Wildcats. Neil is as jittery as he gets before every game. Angel is up in the stands with Nicky and Erik who are visiting from Germany. Andrew is quiet. He had thought about it in the shower this morning and he realised that he felt good. Maybe he is finally starting to believe he can have this forever. His bad days have slowly been lessening over the last few years and he can’t precisely remember when the last one had been. He runs out onto the court, Neil ahead of him, and allows the roar of the crowd to move him to a flicker of what he thought might resemble Neil’s excitement. Neil looks back at him before the whistle blew, grinning at him with fierce joy around the mouthguard. Andrew feels the corners of his lip tug upward and knows Neil recognises the expression by the way his grin becomes wider.

Then the game begins and Andrew is too busy to think about feelings. The Arkansas Sky Bison are fierce. The backliner that is covering Neil has a good foot and a half and 150 lbs on him. He’s like a charging bull trying to trample a grasshopper. Neil flits around him and scores in the first five minutes of the game. The backliner, McKechnie, throws his head back and roars but Neil doesn’t stick around for the temper tantrum. He’s already getting in position for the next pass. Andrew is always surprised when seeing Neil on a dance floor. He’s awkward and stilted and seems to have three times the usual amount of knees and elbows. But here on the Exy court, Neil moves with all the grace of a dancer, weaving among his much bigger opponents completely unscathed as they collide with each other and get red in the face.

Andrew catches another shot on net and heaves it up the court to Neil. Neil snatches it out of the air but doesn’t have a good shot on the goal. He passes it cross court to Richards, the other Wildcat striker, and moves up to get closer to the goal. McKechnie has had enough and roars, swinging his racquet straight at Neil’s head and, unlike when Riko had tried the same thing, Andrew couldn’t get there in time. He shouts, wordlessly and Neil responds quickly enough to avoid a direct blow to the head but it still hits with a loud crack and Neil’s head snaps back sharply and he drops to the ground without even trying to catch himself.

Andrew can’t breathe and Neil doesn’t get up, doesn’t shake it off like nothing happened. Johnson and Hiebert, the backliners each grab an arm and hold him in the goal. Andrew is barely conscious of who it is or why. His whole world has narrowed to the man lying crumpled on the court, the one who still isn’t fucking moving. 

The other team is hustling McKechnie off and the moment the door shuts behind him, the two backliners let go of him and Andrew is at Neil’s side between one breath and the next. Their team medic is trying to push him back but now that he has reached Neil’s side, he’s not going anywhere. They don’t take Neil’s helmet off, instead fitting him with a c-collar and loading him onto a backboard. Neil’s nose is bleeding and Andrew reaches his shaking hand under the faceguard to carefully wipe it away, willing him to open his eyes. Neil should be talking right now, opening that stupid mouth to talk Andrew down and wind him up, all at the same time.   
An ambulance shows up and paramedics rush in and take Neil away. Neil’s eyes flutter momentarily as they are lifting him and his hand reaches out for Andrew. Andrew tries to follow them into the ambulance but they tell him there is no room and leave him standing on the curb. And Andrew knows the game will continue but he won’t step back into the goal tonight.

Nicky is beside him then, trying to comfort him but Andrew shoves him down onto his ass. He lets Angel cling to him though. She might be the only person whose world is imploding in the same way as his own. So she understands. Erik is speaking and Andrew doesn’t hear it as words but he understands that he intends for them to get the car and follow the ambulance to the hospital and then Andrew manages to unfreeze his limbs and follow.

Nicky squeezes into the backseat of the car with Andrew and Angel and tries to get Andrew to talk to him but he still can’t hear anything as words. None of the worried sounds they make have meaning, not as they put a cup of hospital coffee in his hand, not as they wave his favourite chocolate bar under his nose, not as they do their best to comfort him. 

And then a man in a white coat walks in and says, “Family of Neil Josten,” and the world goes into hyper focus. He steps forward, Angel clinging to his arm. Nicky and Erik stand up too but stay a few steps back.

“That’s me,” Andrew rasps.

“What relation are you to Mr. Josten?” the doctor asks.

“I’m his partner,” Andrew says, the word catching in his throat.

“Husband?” The doctor frowns.

“No,” Andrew says. “He’s my...boyfriend.” He grimaces at the feel of the word in his throat. He had always felt like it was such a small word to encompass everything Neil is to him.

“I’m sorry. Is his real family here?” The doctor looks around the waiting room.

The suddenly painful grip of Angel’s hand on his arm is the only thing that keeps him from punching the doctor in the face. “We are his real family,” he grits out between his teeth.

“I can only release details of Mr Josten’s condition to legal members of his family,” the doctor says firmly.

There would have been bloodshed in the next few moments but the Wildcats coach, Troy Hunter, walks in and immediately knows what is going on. “What is wrong with you people? Do you not read your paperwork? Andrew is Neil’s emergency contact and is to be given all the familial rights in case of injury. You better get off your high horse right the hell now and tell us what is going on with Neil.”

The doctor sighed. “I’ll speak to the two of you only. And we’ll go somewhere private. We pride ourselves on our discretion at this hospital. We cater to a lot of high profile athletes and we take their privacy very seriously.”

“If you know anything about the athletes in this city you should know that Josten and Minyard are a matched set. You don’t get one without the other. Do you live under a rock?” Hunter gets right down in the doctor’s face and the man shrinks back.

“Just follow me,” he says meekly. They follow the doctor to a smaller waiting room outside the ICU. He doesn’t speak until they are inside with the door locked. “Mr Josten is very lucky. If that hit had landed straight on, we would most likely be dealing with a fractured skull right now, even through the helmet. As it is, he has sustained a severe concussion. There has been a slight increase in intracranial pressure and so we will keep him in ICU until that is resolved. But there should be no need for surgery. He is conscious but he is not speaking. He is confused and combative so we have had to restrain him for now. We are reluctant to allow visitors…” The doctor cuts off as suddenly it becomes very hard to breathe. Andrew suspects it is because of his hand that has leapt up against his will and grabbed the man by the collar.

“He’s going to keep panicking unless you get me in there.” Andrew stares the doctor down. He very wisely gives into Andrew’s demands.

Neil is weakly pulling at the wrist restraints and whimpering quietly when Andrew rips back the curtain. The first thing he does is release all the restraints and then he carefully slides one hand under the back of Neil’s head and the other over his forehead and he just holds Neil still. Neil instantly relaxes and his eyes struggle to focus on Andrew’s face.

“I’m still Neil?” Neil whispers.

“Of course, idiot. You don’t ever have to be anyone else,” Andrew whispers back.

Neil’s eyes close for a second before popping back open. “Angel ok?”

“She’s fine. Probably going to kick your ass for letting that gorilla ambush you like that.” Andrew carefully brushes Neil’s hair off his forehead.

“Good,” Neil sighs. “Don’t go anywhere, k?”

“Sure, I don’t have anywhere better to be for now,” Andrew jokes roughly, but his hand is gentle as he soothes Neil to sleep. He reclaims one of his hands, pulls out his phone and texts Angel some instructions. He goes to put it back in his pocket but thinks better of it and dashes off a quick email to Ms Jenkins, Angel’s case worker.

* * *

Andrew had a restless night. He refused to leave Neil’s side except for a quick trip to the waiting room to say goodnight to Angel.

“Is Neil really going to be okay?” She clung to him.

“You know that thing adults do where they lie to kids in order to protect them? I wouldn’t do that. I’ll protect you but I will not lie to you. Neil needs some time but he’ll get better. I promise.” Andrew pulled her in tightly.

She sniffed, her eyes wet, but nodded. “I believe you,” she hiccoughed. “I got your stuff. Is this one ok? I wasn’t sure exactly what you wanted it to look like.”

Andrew looked down at the item she handed him. “It’s perfect,” he said. “Erik and Nicky are going to take you home for the night. Be good, kiddo.”

She yawned, the stress of the day finally catching up to her. “Night, Dad,” she said.

Andrew went very still. It was the first time she had called him anything but Andrew. Sometimes she jokingly called Neil “Pops.” But this was Angel with her guard down. He really didn’t hate it.

She flushed when she realised her slip. “I’m sorry, Andrew, it just came out.”

Andrew opened his mouth to brush it off the way Nicky was clearly expecting, but he thought better of it and ended up just putting his hand on her shoulder. “Sleep well.” And he didn’t feel quite so scared of the email he had sent earlier that day.

Andrew dozed on and off for the rest of the night. He woke up every time the nurses came in to wake Neil up and check for lucidity but he had no intentions of leaving Neil alone in the hospital.

He was awake and looking at Neil when he finally pushed through into full consciousness. 

“Hey,” Neil said softly. “Have you been here all night?”

Andrew just reached into his pocket and set a small box in front of Neil. Neil furrowed his brow and picked it up. He opened it to reveal a simple platinum wedding band with a key engraved on the inside.

“Andrew,” Neil breathed. “Is this?”

Andrew just nodded. “No dumbass doctor is going to keep me in the dark when you’re a fucking idiot and land yourself in here again.”

“Is this really what you want?” Neil asked hesitantly.

“Is that a yes or a no?” Andrew shot back, trying not to look like his entire world could be shattered or remade with a single word.

Neil reached out and tangled his fingers in Andrew’s blond hair and pulled his face close enough that they were sharing breath. “It’s always a yes with you.”

Later that day, after Neil was settled in a regular room, Angel finally was allowed to come visit. She was trying so hard to tone down her enthusiasm even though they could both tell she was over the moon about the ring on Neil’s finger. Andrew sat in the corner, content to watch them and let them fill all the silences. He felt his phone vibrate to signal an incoming email. He glanced at it and closed his eyes briefly before standing and crossing to where Angel was telling Neil a story and, without any ceremony whatsoever, he handed her his phone.

She looked at it confused and read the email on the screen. Her eyes filled with tears and she threw herself into Andrew’s arms. Neil struggled to sit up and Andrew took the phone back from Angel and handed it to Neil. And then somehow Andrew found himself hunched over awkwardly in his least favourite social situation, the dreaded group hug. 

“I guess I can call you Dad for real now, huh,” Angel laughed through her tears.

“Guess so.” Andrew wished he had a cigarette. Everything felt very close, very real. The cigarette smoke would give him a little bit of distance.

Neil looked sharply up at Andrew. “Hey, Angel. I’m feeling really tired and I think I need a nap. Want to go tell Uncle Nicky your good news?”

Angel hopped up and gave them both bone rattling hugs goodbye. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief and dropped back into his chair.

“Thank you,” Neil said softly.

“I figured I could get a lifetime of gift giving out of the way right now. It’s purely selfish,” Andrew smiled faintly. He kicked off his shoes and propped his feet on the bed and pressed them into Neil’s hip, the warmth spreading up through the soles of his feet and right to the top of his head. They both fall asleep.

* * *

A couple weeks later, after Neil is healed and going back to light practices, they make a court day of it. Nicky and Erik witness the marriage in the morning because Nicky absolutely refused to leave the country again before Andrew and Neil got married. They sign adoption papers officially in the afternoon. And then it’s done. They are no longer three different families, Josten, Minyard, and Hewlett; they are Andrew and Neil Josten-Minyard and their daughter, Angel.

Some of the former Foxes show up for dinner. Matt and Dan are there with their first child, Allison too. Aaron calls for five minutes before supper and Andrew isn’t seething with anger when he hangs up. As far as parties go, it’s a pretty small affair but Andrew still finds himself grabbing his plate of dessert and stepping out onto the balcony alone for a smoke.

Neil joins him a little later, perching on the chair beside his and reaching his hand across the gap between them. Andrew casually laces his fingers through Neil’s and blows smoke into the night sky.

“You’re my husband now,” Neil grins.

Andrew raises one eyebrow as he turns to look at Neil. “Call me that in public and I’ll murder you where you stand. You’ll never see it coming.”

“But you’ve warned me now. It won’t be a surprise.” Neil laughs, the cocky asshole.

“You’ll Never. See. It Coming,” Andrew spits out. Neil keeps looking at him with softness in his eyes and delight in his smile. “Yes or no,” Andrew sighs.

“I already said yes,” Neil says, raising his left hand so the ring catches the light through the balcony doors.

Andrew leans toward Neil and kisses him, allowing him to steal his breath from his lungs. After a long moment he pulls back and looks at Neil again, lips swollen and red, still so soft, and committed to be with him forever, And Andrew smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea that Andrew proposes after Neil winds up in the hospital is not an original idea to me. I'm not actually sure of the original source. But it is a headcanon that I will die upon.

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a lawyer. This probably would not fly in the real world but let's pretend.


End file.
